Today's Shout Out #1Ru(II)-Photoactive Agents for Targeting ER Stress and Immunogenic Cell Death Posted July 22, 2024 Madeline Denison, Alexander Ullrich, Mackenzie K. Herroon, Shane Mecca, Claudia Turro, Izabela Podgorski, Heather Gibson, and Jeremy J. Kodanko*
Wayne State University, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Ohio State University
Introduction
Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for one in six deaths in 2020. Immunotherapy has evolved into an improved means for cancer treatment by enhancing the immune system’s recognition of cancer cells. By programming immune cells to attack cancer cells, this noninvasive treatment can offer successful, long-lasting remission, which is not achieved by common cancer treatment methods such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, few patients initially respond to immunotherapy drugs, and those that do often form drug resistance. Alternatively, use of photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been shown to enhance systemic antitumor immunity, leading to tumor elimination and protection from recurrence. For
instance, ruthenium (II) based PDT agent TLD-1433, currently in human clinical trials, was found to display antitumor immunity in a mouse model of colon cancer. However, factors that led to this response are still not understood.